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Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of Marissa Meyer's bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

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Editorial Reviews

*Starred Review* Cinder, the beautiful lunar cyborg mechanic, is back, this time in what initially appears to be parallel story lines with Scarlet, the granddaughter of a former military pilot turned farmer in the small town of Rieux, France. After her midnight fall down the palace steps and her imprisonment, Cinder is a media sensation, escaping the New Beijing prison with Captain Carswell Thorne, a handsome if rather clueless petty thief. Scarlet, on the other hand, is trying desperately to gain the police’s attention. Her grandmother has disappeared and is surely in danger; the officers speculate that the eccentric old woman has wandered off. Only when Scarlet meets the violent yet attractive Wolf, an alpha human with animal instincts, is she on the trail of her beloved grand-mère, and a trajectory that intersects with Cinder’s attempt to save the earth by foiling Lunar Queen Levana’s marriage to Emperor Kai. It’s another Marissa Meyer roller-coaster ride, part science fiction/fantasy, part political machinations with a hint of romance. Readers will be pushed into a horrific alternate universe where violence, especially mind manipulation and control, create ethical and life-threatening situations for both teens. With at least one more Lunar Chronicle to come, the suspense continues. And which fairy tale will Meyer morph next? HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Cinder (2012), the first title in the Lunar Chronicles, was a New York Times best-seller. Even without the major promotional campaign, teens will be waiting for this follow-up. Grades 7-10. --Frances Bradburn

Review

* A great choice for all ages, with strong appeal for both girls and boys, these novels will be read and enjoyed--repeatedly. (VOYA, starred review)

* It's another Marissa Meyer roller coaster ride, part science fiction/fantasy, part political machination with a hint of romance. Readers will be pushed into a horrific alternate universe where violence, especially mind manipulation and control, create ethical and life-threatening situations for both teens. With at least one more Lunar Chronicle to come, the suspense continues. And which fairy tale will Meyer morph next? (Booklist, starred review)

The author has stepped up the intrigue and plot from the first novel, and readers will be eagerly awaiting the next. (School Library Journal)

Further development of this futuristic world plus plenty of action, surprises, and a fast pace will keep readers invested in their journey. (The Horn Book)

The sci-fi elements are stronger than the fairy-tale allusions this time out, but the story remains just as absorbing. . . . Readers will be thrilled to discover that this steampunky fairy-tale/sci-fi mashup promises two more installments. (BCCB)

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More About the Author

Marissa Meyer is a fangirl at heart, with a closet full of costumes, a Harry Potter wand on her desk, and a Tuxedo Mask doll hanging from her rear view mirror. Han and Leia are still her OTP. She may or may not be a cyborg.

Marissa writes books for teens, including the NYT bestselling series: The Lunar Chronicles.

Follow her blog or sign up for her newsletter at http://www.marissameyer.com.

If you loved Cinder, an updated SciFi-enhanced Cinderella story, you will be thrilled with its sequel Scarlet, which is just as original, engaging and heart-racingly spectacular and picks up right where Cinder left off. Cinder, the teen-aged cyborg mechanic, is in prison and has only just found out that she is the Lunar princess Selene, who almost everyone believes died in a fiery spaceship crash as a young child. Cinder's aunt, the ruthless power-hungry Lunar Queen Levana, planned Cinder's death in order to claim the Moon's throne for herself, and now she is plotting to take over Earth as well, starting with the Eastern Commonwealth governed by Prince Kai. Somehow Cinder must break out of prison to help Kai and stop her aunt, but there is an army of genetically modified human/wolf soldiers hunting her down and poised to wreak havoc in all of Earth's major cities.

Fortunately, Cinder won't have to do it completely alone. Halfway around the world Scarlet Benoit, aka Red Riding Hood, is searching France for her missing grandmother, a woman who knows something about the early years of Cinder's life. Scarlet and Wolf, a street fighter with his own links to Queen Levana, join forces with Cinder, Cinder's android friend Iko and Cinder's sleazy but ultimately useful prison break partner "Captain" Thorne.

What I love about Scarlet is how well it continues the story and strengths of Cinder, including its thorough world building, its clever and cohesive SciFi update on well known fairy tale characters and their stories, its plot which is both fast paced and full of complications, and probably most important to me, its characters who are learning as they go and having to work together even when they don't completely trust each other.Read more ›

I enjoyed "Cinder" and I enjoyed this follow-up. Both books are well-plotted, fast-paced stories with interesting characters and situations. My complaint is that this appears to be a series, but it's not. It's a serial. The books aren't stories that follow each other, they are portions of one story... and when I finished "Scarlet" I had the same feeling I had when I finished "Cinder": "Are you kidding me?" The books just stop. If you haven't started the series, I recommend just waiting until it's complete and then reading them all, because you're really just getting a section of a larger book with each.

I've been wanting to read this book ever since I finished Cinder, and it didn't disappoint! Scarlet's and Cinder's stories blend so well with each other. Looking back, there are little bits of Cinder that hint at things to come in Scarlet. And everything puzzles together so perfectly, I loved it.

The story starts right up after Cinder. The day after the coronation ball. And, it is action packed from the beginning. Scarlet's grandmother has been missing for a little over 2 weeks. Scarlet is very afraid that something really bad has happened to her grandmother, but the police have stopped looking for her so now Scarlet has to look for her on her own. On her quest to find her grandmother, she runs into wolf, the street fighter, who may just know where her grandmother is. (If you want to know more about Wolf, read the short story, The Queen's Army. Bits of that also ties into this book)

The story also whips back to Cinder and her quest to escape from prison and get out of the grasp of the Luna Queen Levana. On her way trying to escape, she runs in to Captain Carswell Thorne. And together they go on an adventure.

The new characters are great. Thorne is hilarious with his witty remarks. I found myself giggling at almost everything he said. And Wolf, even though you can never tell he is actually a good guy or a bad guy you feel for him. With his shy demeanor but his large physical appearance.

The novel does subtly tie into the little red riding hood tale. Scarlet going to see her grandmother. And other parts of little red riding hood, that I can't add because it might spoil the novel.

This is the SEQUEL to Cinder (also 2 short stories ~ Glitches & The Queen's Army ~ about 15 pages each). I read them out of sequence and it was fine ~ Probably BEST in sequence, but Ms Meyers does a great job keeping each book completely intact.

Marissa Meyer has stumbled or deviously planned a brilliant pairing ~ SciFi & Fairy Tales ~ Who knew??? Well, thankfully Marissa Meyer knew! I was shocked at how much I loved this story and desperately wanted more.

I love the characters ~ The females, Scarlet & Cinder are both independent and capable in their own right and not afraid to jump right in and help save the day. Even though there is romance in the air, that isn't the focus and neither girl allows anything to distract them from what needs to be done.

I think it's a great series for teenaged girls to get into. I highly recommend this book ~ for you and your daughters... Even your mom... Anyone who loves Fairy Tales will love this re-telling!